The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus that controls an implementation order of output jobs for outputting images.
Among the image processing apparatuses that implement print jobs or the like, inputted by the user, a certain image processing apparatus is so constituted that it establishes priority degrees of the inputted print jobs, based on a kind of job, a time required for processing, an authority owned by the user, a state of job currently in mid course of its implementation or its standby status, etc., with respect to each of the inputted print jobs, and then, it determines the implementation order of the inputted print jobs to be exclusively controlled from each other, based on the priority degrees above-established, so as to sequentially implement them one by one based on the implementation order of them above-determined. In such the case that the priority degrees are to be established as abovementioned, there has been a possibility that it would take a considerable time to start an implementation of a job whose priority degree is made to be low, when another job having a high priority degree is inputted after that, since the implementation of the other job overrides that of the job concerned.
With respect to the technology for automatically changing the priority degrees or the implementation order of the print jobs concerned, for instance, in order to eliminate such the case that the print job, having a low priority degree and currently in mid course of waiting its implementation (standby print job), is hardly implemented for a long time, due to frequent interruptions of the other jobs having high priority degrees, Tokkai 2005-125661 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication) sets forth such the technology that the times of interruptions, incurred by the print job having the low priority degree, are counted, to heighten the priority degree of the print job, having the low priority degree, on the basis of the number of the interruption times, so as to change its implementation order to that sooner than ever.
Further, with respect to the mail box printing operation (security printing) in which, after the user designates a mail box settled in advance in the HDD (Hard Disc Drive) provided in the MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) and transmits print data to the designated mail box of the MFP from the client PC (Personal Computer), the user operates the panel provided in the MFP side so as to instruct the printing operation based on the print data stored in the mail box concerned, Tokkai 2005-244656 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication) sets forth the other technology for automatically changing the implementation order of the print jobs, based on the priority degrees. According to the technology set forth in Tokkai 2005-244656, during the time interval from the time when the user has inputted various kinds of information, such as a mail box ID (IDentification), a password, etc., through the operation panel, to the other time when the printed product concerned is outputted, the operation for authenticating the concerned user by employing a near-distance wireless communication technology is conducted, and at the same time, the operation for authenticating the other user whose priority degree is higher than that of the concerned user who has inputted the print job currently implemented, is also conducted, in order to shorten the time for waiting in front of the MFP. Then, if the print data of the other user exists in the mail box, the print job currently implemented is suspended so as to preferentially implement the print job of the other user.
Still further, there has been generally well known, various kinds of functions, such as a job interrupting function, a jumping function, etc., for accelerating the implementation of the job, whose implementation order is set at a later position, through the user's operations. In the image processing apparatus provided with the abovementioned functions, for instance, when the user is made to wait due to the fact that the print job inputted by the user is not instantaneously implemented, the user would confirm the implementation order of the concerned print job by using the operational panel, etc. When confirming that the priority degree of the print job inputted by himself is set at a lower rank, but it is necessary to hurry the implementation of the concerned print job, the user himself can conduct the operations for applying the job interrupting function and/or the jumping function from the operational panel or the like, so as to preferentially process the print job of his own prior to the other print jobs.
However, according to the technology for heightening the priority degree of the print job currently in the standby state (hereinafter, referred to as the standby print job, for simplicity) corresponding to the number of interruption times as set forth in Tokkai 2005-125661, in the sate that a large number of standby print jobs having low priority degrees exist, when the number of interruption times in regard to each of the standby print jobs exceeds the predetermined number, all of the priority degrees of the large number of standby print jobs are heightened at a time, so as to preferentially and sequentially implement the standby print jobs one by one. As a result, there has been a possibility that it would take a considerable time to start an implementation of another print job inputted after that.
On the other hand, according to the technology set forth in Tokkai 2005-244656, the system is so constituted that the user visited to the MFP concerned is automatically authenticated, and then, the priority degree of the above-authenticated user is compared with that of the other user who has already inputted a print job, so as to determine whether the print job of the above-authenticated user or that of the other user should override the other. However, in such a case that a large number of print jobs, inputted by the users whose priority degrees are higher than that of the above-authenticated user, are in the standby status, there has been a possibility that it would take a considerable time to start an implementation of the print job inputted by the above-authenticated user having the low priority degree.
Still further, even when the priority degree of the job concerned can be changed by the user's operation, in such a case that the job of the concerned user is inputted with a low priority degree, and then, the other job, having a priority degree higher than that of the job of the concerned user, is inputted later, it has been inconvenient for such the concerned user, who has no authority for changing the priority degrees, to wait until the other job having a priority degree higher than that of his own is completed, while being incapable of changing the priority degree even in an emergency case.
Yet further, even when the image processing apparatus is provided with the job interrupting function or the like, in such a case that the priority degree of the job inputted by the user has been lowered, it has been inconvenient for such the user, who has not used to the operations of the image processing apparatus concerned and/or has not been familiar with the provided functions, to wait until the other job having a priority degree higher than that of his own is completed, while being incapable of using the job interrupting function or the like to change the priority degree even in an emergency case.